Monday, January 16, 2012

Snowpocalypse? Bring It!

This is my backyard as of 2 minutes ago. In Seattle, this qualifies as a snowpocalypse. To be fair, we have had about 2 inches and the sidewalks are quite icy. (We also live on the side of a mountain and the only road down is very steep and difficult to navigate) We're also expecting more snow over the next couple of days.

A true Seattleite, I don't drive in the snow - ever. I've done it twice in my life. Once in high school when we got hit with a surprise snow and last year when I had to drive my husband to the park & ride to pick up his car after a snowstorm. That one I did under extreme protest, after begging him to have one of the neighbor guys take him (like our old neighbors who were from Calgary and snow experts). He insisted the roads weren't bad and I had to try it sometime. I tried it and I'm done.

Most Seattleites dread the snow like you wouldn't believe. We have lots of hills and very few snow plows around here. We don't get snow often so most of us aren't comfortable getting around in it. I used to be one of them.

However, now that I'm a work-at-home mom, my attitude towards the snow has completely changed. As long as I'm stocked up on milk, diapers and hot cocoa, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Yesterday, when it started coming down, I was more excited than the kids. I kept directing them to the window to look at the snow while it was coming down. When it started sticking, my four-year-old and I held hands, and jumped up and down, screaming. My husband was worried we were going to wake our little guy up from his nap. (We didn't.)

Yesterday afternoon, we joined many of our neighbors outside to build snowmen together and sled down our driveway (ours is the steepest on the block and has long been the sledding driveway for those seeking convenience over quality sledding). My little guy wasn't feeling great and stayed inside with my husband while my daughter and I played outside in the snow with our friends for an hour and a half. It was fantastic. I didn't have any of the stress I would have had if I were still working in an office (how will I get in? What will I do if daycare's closed but my office is open? I have a project due but can't get in...). I admit that much of the time I just accept my work at home role but every so often something like two inches of snow comes along and reminds me how lucky I am. I love playing in the snow and now that both kids are old enough to really get out there and play, it's such a wonderful treat to see them enjoy it -- all without stress. This morning we joined some friends in our neighborhood and all played in the snow together and as I looked at my pink-cheeked, snotty-nosed kids, I thought about how lucky I am to be able to enjoy this time with them without stress or worry. We're housebound for the foreseeable future and that's A-OK.